Out of Contention
by Red and Gold Phoenix
Summary: As it turns out lying to oneself is a tedious, exhausting task that can only provide temporary, and artificial comfort. Based on file 689. So Spoiler Warning! R


SPOILERS for file 689!!! WARNING!!! I saw the RAW for 689 today (obviously) and wow! I was surprised by the turn of events (and by the fact that I actually managed to solve the case, very surprising). Shiratori and Kobayashi…well then. Don't get me wrong I think they make an adorable couple and I am happy for Shiratori and I am glad that he will leave Takagi alone now. _**But**_ the way he so easily forgets what he has been trying so desperately to obtain for at least three years just doesn't sit well with me. I've decided it bothers Yumi as well. I know that Yumi expresses no interest in Shiratori in the manga, there was the time she stayed with him in the hospital during the bombing case. I've always had this feeling, so I thought maybe, just maybe she had a thing for him. I personally, would much rather Takagi (seriously though I like Takagi-kun a bit too much. I tell you the things I would do to him if I could *_*), but he's clearly taken =D Man am I obsessed with Sato/Takagi or what? I disclaim all characters they belong to Gosho!

* * *

The young traffic officer looked solemnly out of the window. She noted that the rain matched her mood perfectly. She glared down at the steaming cup of coffee she had just bought from the break room machine behind her. Her shift had ended a few minutes ago. On her way up from the underground parking lot she had run into her best friend and her partner.

She smiled to herself; those two had been so happy the past couple of weeks. Since they had kissed each other for the first time as a matter of fact. Miwako had called her from her cell so excited after it had happened, and Takagi was still not able to talk about it without nearly passing out. They had been on their way out to a case. Unfortunately Yumi had failed at acting like she was completely fine. Miwako had taken her by the shoulders and asked what was wrong. The traffic officer had forced a smile and told the older woman that she was doing great and that she had no idea why anyone would think otherwise.

She had been trying to fool herself for the past few days. She was far from fine, she was angry and confused. She had also tried to deny that she knew the reason. As it turns out lying to oneself is a tedious, exhausting task that can only provide temporary, and artificial comfort.

Yes, she was angry, angry with herself and angry at _him_, even if she had no right to be. She openly acknowledged the fact that she certainly had no right. Still, it was painful and she knew why. Perhaps that was what infuriated her the most.

Feeling cold she took a sip of the warm coffee desperately searching for some form of comfort. When she was ready she would tell Miwako. If anyone could make her feel better it was her best friend. Although she figured this particular problem would probably be better understood by Takagi. She could always talk to him about it too, that guy really was a big sweet heart. Until then she was just grateful that she was alone in the break room, she was too drained to act like her normal cheery self.

All the signs confirming her fears had stung her, shocked her even. The most notable was how _he_ was suddenly trying to be best buds with Takagi-kun. She wasn't blind, it was still hard for him, and would take some time, but she could tell that what he ultimately wanted was his co-workers' friendship.

Once again she found herself glaring into her coffee. All these changes in a matter of days... Just then she heard someone walk into the room. She cringed, not needing to turn around to know who it was. Of course, right when she was most vulnerable, he had to walk in.

She could feel the lump form in her throat; her jaw felt like it was turning to stone. She could see his outline traced faintly in the glass she was staring at. She observed the uncharacteristic hop in his step and the way he was lightly humming to himself as he put some coins into the coffee machine. Of course she wanted him to be happy…

"Yumi-san, how are you doing?" he asked cheerfully.

"Fine." She answered despising the crack in her voice. Was this the first time he had ever asked her that question? She noted it was.

He took his cup of coffee and stood beside her in front of the window. This irked her; he normally stayed ten feet away from anybody that wasn't Miwako. _Especially other women._

The reason she had never perused him, never let on or told him of her feelings for him was because of his strong attraction for Miwako. She was waiting until Takagi had won and for the point when he realized that fact. That would have been when she would have come foreword and been honest with him. She hadn't cared that he was so enthralled with her best friend. Sure, it had been frustrating to observe, but at the end of the day she was waiting for him because she truly loved him. And now this…

A part of her wished she hadn't found out, but that was impossible when you happen to be at the center of the MPD rumor mill. Besides, she would have noticed his odd behavior and questioned him. Then she would have heard it from him directly, that might have been too much.

"Are you sure? You don't seem yourself."

She wasn't going to say anything to him. She was planning to burry it and never bring it up. However, he had to walk in the room and no one else was there. The opportunity itself demanded it of her, and she was angry. People tend to give in to pain when they are angry. She was no different.

"Since when do you care?" the words came out cold and seemed childish to her, but still, it was better than saying nothing at all. She felt her face heat up, now that she had started she wouldn't stop until she let him know how she felt about his decision.

He said nothing; she could tell he was looking for the right words to say. She ground her teeth together; he never put effort into dealing with other people, ever! And yet, here he was actually trying to comfort someone.

"You know, I felt so bad all the time. I was always trying to help Takagi-kun one-up you. Always helping him with ideas and plans…trying my hardest to get the two of them together."

She noticed him stiffen.

"I'll be honest, I supported Takagi-kun from the beginning, but I always felt bad since I thought you loved her too. I always felt guilty because if you loved her, then who was I to try and ruin your chances?"

He had turned to her, his head down as he soaked in every word she said. Bitterness overtook her as she continued on.

"But now, I can't say I feel bad for you one _God damn_ bit." Her voice was angry; if she didn't know better she would have thought she hated him. She refused to look at him instead she focused her glare into the glass.

"Did you honestly believe that you could compete with a man like Takagi, when you your self never cared about Miwako in the first place?!" His head shot up at those words and the accusation within them.

"I'm not trying to judge you…" her voice had quieted down to a whisper, she had to fight the tears threatening to fall. "…But I just can't believe you went after her simply because of something that happened when you were kids! _Not to mention it wasn't even her._

She whipped her head in his direction facing him, "To love a person means loving _who_ that person is. You claimed that you cared about Miwako not based on loving the person she is but on something completely separate from her." Yumi wasn't sure if she had ever sounded more serious in her entire life.

She breathed deeply, ignoring the tears that had started to fall down her face. She felt utterly ridiculous crying like this, in front of him, but she was only human and could only take so much. He could barley hear what she said next:

"The evidence, is that you so easily forgot about her and immediately switched to another woman. If you had really cared for Miwako, you wouldn't have given her up just because she wasn't the girl from all those years ago." She wiped the tears from her face deciding she didn't want him to see them.

"You owe Takagi-kun an apology for making things harder for him than it should have been." She no longer felt like crying, not in front of Shiratori anyway.

"As far as I'm concerned, _**you**_ were out of contention from the very start!"

_Just like me…_

For a fleeting second she considered embracing him and confessing her feelings. It just didn't feel right. Touching him was out of the question. He would not have appreciated it. Even if the only thing she wanted right now was to be pressed against him.

The worst part of it all, the fact that was undoing her, was that if she had known the reason why he was after Miwako, she would have confessed. She would have never waited to tell him if she had known his affection was so superficial. Instead she had been patient, and he had met another woman.

Deciding the damage was done, she walked out of the room. She realized she had been completely out of line on a personal and certainly on a professional level, but it felt a little better to say it to his face. She had to steel herself, thanks to destiny she would never be the woman at his side.

* * *

O_o Oh boy, something like this would never happen in the manga. I tried to keep Yumi in character. I can personally see her acting like this, she seems like the more emotional type (in a good way). Meh, I guess this is just me being kinda pissed off because the MPD police love triangle plot has been sealed. I guess I'm just insecure about Gosho putting my favorite people on the backburner. Don't look at me like that! They just kissed and now Shiratori has essentially moved on down the line (my fear has reasoning 8_8!). Anyway, about Yumi having feelings for Shiratori…she might and we just don't know. Yeah yeah I know you are not buying it, it's not me fault you lot are too sharp! LOL REVIEW PLEASE! Tell me your opinions. Or just give me an idea. One word reviews like "Good.", "Bad.", "NO!", "Whatever." Are acceptable.

OH and for any Sato/Takagi fans, I posted a little something in the M rating section. Don't be afraid it's not too bad. If you're over 15, go for it. Okay, maybe 16… LOL R&R! (I am such a hypocrite on the review thing.)


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